Just finished my review of the Cypher Labs Portable Picollo amp/DAC for Android. It isnt published on the CL website yet, but here it is if any of you are interested: So, Ive had the Cypher Labs Picollo DAC (PDAC) for about a month or so now and have used it in A LOT of listening sessions for some very extensive periods of time... I have come to the conclusion that Cypher Labs, as a company, can do no wrong. I am absolutely in LOVE with this beautiful little machine! I listen to a wide variety of different music, from blues to jazz, to pop, rap, and dubstep and in no way did this little amp disappoint in the overall sound quality that it delivered from my sources (iPod Classic 6th gen, Samsung Galaxy S4, Macbook Pro), up to the cans (Mr Speakers Alpha Dog, Magnum Grado V5, Denon D2000, JH16 Pro) mainlining the music into my ear holes. ACCESSORIES: Cypher Labs were very considerate and have deemed the Picollo DAC worthy of a carrying case to protect his fragile body (Note: not really fragile, just saying that cuz its like the baby of the family). It also comes with a USB charging cable, a 3.5 line out cable, and a 3.5 to USB OTG cable; Everything you need to get started short of the actual source and music! THE BUILD QUALITY: Its solid. Not much else to say here. Cypher Labs has pretty much proven, with every released product so far, the solidity and durability of all their products. Its made up of very nice CNC aluminum(?) and has a very nice heft to it. It may be small, but it feels like a high quality product when you hold it in your hands. THE BATTERY: The battery life is impressive! I left the amp on with music playing while hooked up to my iPod Classic while the Classic was charging and it clocked in at just under 14 hours before it died on me. The battery is definitely nothing to turn your nose up at. THE DAC: The DAC, a Texas Instruments PCM2704, is a little marvel and soooo much better sounding than the internal DAC of my Galaxy S4. Once I started giving it a listen, I quickly ran down the battery of my S4 before I had even realized it. It is detailed, with a good soundstage that easily oustrips what is provided to you by most smartphones on the market. It is capable of supporting 32, 44.1 and 48 KHz at 16 bits sample rates, which is perfectly adequate since Android doesnt seem able to play anything higher than that anyways. THE AMP: The amp is my favorite part of this little guy here. It features a 3.5mm line and 3.5mm headphone out, a very smooth volume pot, and a 3 gain adjustable switch setting. On medium gain, it provided just enough power to drive my Alpha Dogs to acceptable listening levels. It is very smooth, very linear sounding, and provided a sound that was very easy to listen to over a ridiculously long period of time. It is even IEM friendly, with absolutely zero noise floor presented with my JH16 Pro. The overall tone was slightly warm and darkish, which is exactly where my preferences tend to lean. THE TREBLE: The treble was very nice, detailed, but lacked a bit of sparkle.. It wasnt a dull sound by any means, but it was very smooth sounding, like cream flowing into coffee (or your music into ears, in this case) and non-fatiguing, making for very easy listening sessions over long periods of time. THE MIDRANGE: Ever so slightly more forward than everything else, you really notice the much more full sound of the vocal range presented by both male and female vocalists, with female vocals in particular becoming much more close and intimate sounding, as if they are singing directly into your ear, which.. I guess they kinda are... But you get what I mean. Theyre prominent, I guess is the word I would use, and completely grain free. A few other words to describe the midrange would be romantic, lush and intimate. THE BASS: The bass is wonderful! I admit that I have more than a little basshead tendencies, but the Cypher Labs Picollo DAC didnt fail me in the slightest in this regard. While it may lack a bass boost function, I can say without any concern, that it is entirely unneeded. The bass is fat, full and punchy (in comparison to their other products) without being bloated or overbearing. It is very well textured and detailed, and not uncontrolled in the least bit. THEOREM 720 COMPARISON: In comparison to the Theorem 720, the overall presentation of the PDAC is dark and smooth, but not as detailed, while the Theorem 720 is more neutral while maintaining a more lively presentation. With the Picollo DAC you are presented with a more direct, in your face (head?) sound while the Theorem is more all encompassing, surrounding you in the music. The PDAC has a much more fun sound whereas the Theorem, by comparison, is more akin to a reference quality desktop rig. Both are very musical, and extremely well built, with the Theorem beating out the Picollo DAC handily, and rightfully so, being the more expensive big brother, in almost every way but fun factor. CONCLUSION: The Cypher Labs Picollo DAC is a champ of an amp and can really hold its own on the portable amp market as an all in one, lightweight solution for Android devices, and it is well worth the asking price. I am excited to see what CL has in store for us in the future!
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 23:32:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015